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ADHD and alternative therapies

There are various alternative therapies that claim to treat ADHD. While these are options you may want to investigate, many of these treatments are not backed by reliable evidence. Type in to your search engine ‘ADHD + alternative therapies' and almost a million results pop up. Some even promise to cure ADHD via diet, exercise or vitamin supplements.

Before heading down an alternative therapy path, leading Australian ADHD advocate, Michele Toner urges investigation.

“Firstly, at this stage there is no cure for ADHD,” she says. “Also, some of these alternative methods are very expensive, yet they have no scientific evidence to prove that they work.”

The Royal Australian College of Physicians looks at alternative therapies in their draft guidelines on ADHD, and they write that at this stage there is a shortage of evidence to support them.

Alternative therapies

Some of the alternative therapies around include:

Dietary changes

There is little evidence to promote the theory that ADHD is caused or provoked by certain foods including food additives. Some studies have found that small numbers of children with ADHD may benefit slightly from dietary modifications, but experts don't recommend changes to diet as a routine part of therapy.

EEG Biofeedback

The aim of this therapy is to enhance an individual's awareness of physical reactions to physical, emotional, or psychological stress and their ability to influence their own physiological responses. It involves measuring brain waves using sensors placed on the scalp. The overall purpose is to develop self-regulation skills that play a role in improving health and well-being.

Homeopathy

Apparently there are some 30 frequently used homeopathic remedies being used to treat ADHD. While there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence that these remedies work, scientific evidence is far from conclusive.

This article was written by Fiona Baker for Kidspot, Australia's best family health resource. Sources include Michele Toner, Living with ADHD, Raising Children Network and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Last revised: Monday, 19 July 2010

This article contains general information only and is not intended to replace advice from a qualified health professional.